The castle grew quiet throughout the night. Only the sound of crickets outside broke the silence. In one of the hallways, a cloaked figure walked down the halls carrying a bowl of water. He went further down the hall until he reached a small room. He snuffed out a few torches except for one in order to see what he had to do next. He placed the bowl down in front of him and pulled out a glass eye. It splashed into the bowl and it began to glow in an eerie shade of green. The water rose and created a sphere. A pair of red eyes glared menacingly at the cloaked figure. "Speak…" Said a creature in a heavy voice. "What do you have to report?"

"My king," the figure said with a bow. "The child is back in Rainbow Forest. I figured that your chimeras have also reported their failure."

"Yes...It was most disappointing. What can you tell me about this 'Pooh?'"

"A naive soul. He has a demeanor of a child and doesn't seem to be too bright. He's no threat."

"Do you dare make fun of the situation?!" The sphere spiked. Tentacles of water thrashing out left and right.

"My king be careful! The King and Echowing have increased guards since the last attempt."

"Just keep an eye on that bear and his friends. One of them may be the one to possess light magic. The purest of all. It will tear my kingdom apart if the child hatches and the magic is wasted on any more of this friendship nonsense."

The cloaked figure bowed. "Yes...my king." The sphere ceased glowing and the water went back into the bowl. "Ungrateful worm. Once I regain my powers, I shall rule over all." In one swift movement, the last torch was snuffed out.

Pooh snored quietly. Muttering honey and Christopher Robin every once in a while. He slowly opened his eyes and sat upright. Yawning, he looked around. Piglet sleeping peacefully at his left while the window was opening to the autumn chill on his right. Shivering, he pinched himself and smiled. It's not a dream, he thought eagerly. He got up from the bed after figuring that he can't go back to sleep. "Piglet." He kept nudging his friend. "Piglet. I want you to know that I'm going to see King Moonsoul for a bit."

Piglet opened one eye. "Oooookk." He murmured. "Thank you for telling me." He soon went back to sleep.

Pooh changed out of his nightshirt and cap into his red shirt. He went over to close the window. With the help of a nearby bench, Pooh shut the window. The little bear crept quietly across the room and tenderly shut the door. He looked down the hallway. It was quiet and empty. They must have gone to sleep after patrolling all night, he thought. "I wonder if King Moonsoul had gotten any. Maybe I should take a peek and start having a look around the castle."

He walked over to the door that had the goose and noticed a small outline etched in the middle of the door. Pooh stared at it for a moment and noticed a small ring resembling a serpent on the door. "I guess this is for when Honey Maple and any who's too small to open the big door." Pooh grabbed the handle and pulled. He popped his head to see that King Moonsoul was asleep in a nest made of leaves and straw. The egg was nestled between his claws. Then, Pooh noticed that the room was partially lit instead of being bright like his room. He turned his head to see an orange-red dragon with what seemed to be dimly lit lights covering her body. The lights were arranged in a way that made it look like they were jewelry on her face. Her breathing was a little shaky but uneven.

"Maybe I should wait until…"

"What are you doing?!" Spoke a harsh voice.

Pooh jumped and flopped backward. He looked up to see Frost glaring hard at him. The winged horse looked terrible. His eyes barely glowed and his mane was completely messy. "You shouldn't be disturbing the King and Queen." The pegasus bit into Pooh's shirt and dragged away from the door. "They had been through enough and right now they can't deal with guests at this time."

"Good morning General Frost, are any of my friends awake? If they are, maybe they can join me for breakfast." He looked Frost up and down. "Maybe you could stand for some sleep too."

Frost grunted. "I'm fine." He walked but Pooh noticed he was starting to wobble. "As for your friends, they haven't awakened yet." Before he could put down another hoof, he collapsed. He huffed and lifted himself. "If you wish for company now...I could stand for a bite." He waved a wing toward the hall. He was about to lower himself when Pooh held up his paws.

"Oh! That's ok. I don't mind walking. It just gives me a reason to get me in the mood for food." Pooh walked forward as he started to sing another tune. Before long, he and General Frost arrived at the kitchen. The chef, who was a yellow firebird, nearly squawked in fright as he heard the door open. When he saw who it was, he started pulling out some rainbow honey and toast for Pooh and an oatmeal for Frost.

Pooh ate to his delight. His tummy also rumbled with relief of getting food. He also noticed Frost eating his meal slowly, almost as if he barely had any life in him. "Um...General Frost…" He stiffened when the horse gave him a solid glare. "Is there something you want to talk about?"

Frost looked up from his oatmeal. "Why should that be necessary?"

"Well, when me and my friends are upset about something, we talk to each other about 's not easy when it comes to things that made us sad." Pooh sniffled and wiped a napkin on his face. "I know that it must be hard to talk about what happened to the Queen and King."

"You have no idea what happened that day!" General Frost snapped. His neck tightened and his eyes bulging out. "I was in charge of looking after the nursery. Instead, I had to go check on Ester because she's-" He stopped himself. "Never mind…"

Pooh looked on with sympathy in his eyes. "She's sick too?"

"No! She's- She is-" Frost sighed, defeated and tired. "She's due to have my foal in a few months."

Pooh gasped. "Congratulations! I'm sure Hon-the little dragon will like a new friend to play with."

Frost snorted. "The child wouldn't have suffered if it weren't for me." He looked down at his oatmeal sadly. "I let my queen down. If I had been more vigilant…"

Pooh walked over to him. Placing a sticky paw on Frost's shoulder. "What happened wasn't your fault. You didn't know the egg would be stolen. You were just being a father." Pooh thought for a moment. He soon began to recall his time with Madilyn and how Christopher Robin had to learn fatherhood. "When Christopher Robin was having his daughter, he didn't know which came first. But, she tried to help him with his work papers and lost them. He told her that she mattered." He thought for a moment. "I think it's a little like you."

General Frost looked up at him. His eyes were beginning to soften. "You think so?"

Pooh nodded. "Yes. I'm sure the Queen and King Moonsoul understand that too. That's what it means to be a friend. Understanding isn't easy, but having a good friend around makes much of a difference. I should know because I'm a bear of very little brain." He chuckled. Suddenly, he felt General Frost's muzzle against his shoulder. He patted it gently.

"Thank you, Pooh. I feel a little better. I best eat and rest before Ester starts to get fussy with me." Frost started to continue his breakfast. Before he could get out the door, he rested on some nearby hay and slept. The chef grabbed a blanket and placed it on him.

Pooh smiled slightly. He helped the chef prepare breakfast for his friends while he was waiting for them to wake up. He had some issue flipping some pancakes since they had a tendency of getting stuck on the frying pan. The last pancake was being complete but was not willing to leave the pan. Even the chef had to help him get it off. Without warning, it was sent flying in the air. Before long, his friends arrived into the kitchen. "Morning Pooh!" Tigger yelled. He was practically bouncing with joy. "Ready to start the tour!?"

Splat!

The pancake landed right on Tigger's head. Everyone soon laughed, including Frost who was startled awake by Tigger's yelling. Pure joy filled the room, letting everyone know that today was indeed going to be a good day.